White bright giant · Ursa Minor
Pherkad
Also known as: γ Ursae Minoris (γ UMi), HIP 75097
mag 3.0490 light-years
About
Pherkad (γ Ursae Minoris) is a white bright giant of magnitude 3.0 in Ursa Minor, about 490 light-years away.
How to find it
- Pherkad is in the constellation Ursa Minor.
- Best evenings: around late June it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from north of 8° S.
- Star patterns: Little Dipper.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesVisible from the suburbs on a clear night, but lost in bright city skies.
- Binoculars (10×50)A sharp point; binoculars bring out its colour and the fainter stars around it.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)Still a point of light at any magnification — stars are too far away to show a disc. Low in the sky, bright stars twinkle and flash colours.
Stars look the same in any instrument: brighter and sharper, but never bigger.
Facts
| Proper name | Pherkad |
|---|---|
| Designation | γ Ursae Minoris (γ UMi) |
| Hipparcos number | HIP 75097 |
| Type | White bright giant |
| Spectral type | A3II-III |
| Colour | WhiteB−V colour index 0.06 |
| Magnitude | 3.0The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Distance | 490 light-yearsThe light you see left it around 1540. |
| Proper motion | 0.025″ per year across the sky |
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 15h 20m 43.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +71° 50′ 02″ |
More in Ursa Minor
Sources and credits
Star data: HYG Database by David Nash, CC BY-SA 4.0. All data sources →